Requiem
by Constantine1453
Summary: The final battle comes and goes, leaving one man behind to pick up the pieces of his life and love.
1. Chapter 1 - Harry Potter...Auror Extrodi...

Requiem  
  
Chapter 1  
Harry Potter...Auror Extrodiare?  
  
A/N - I own nothing, ie none of the characters, settings, etc. It all belongs to JKR & the various other holders of rights.   
  


He watched the world through emerald eyes. No longer bright sparkling gems of deep green, they had dulled. His soul peered out through those eyes, staring at the world around him. Tired, and weary he was from all that he had been through, he stared at all of those working around him as if they were strangers. In a way, they were. Strangers because he had driven them away from himself, not wanting to be reminded of her.   
  
She had been his wife of seven years. They had been married a month after leaving school and joining the ever more dangerous world. But with her, and with his best friend beside him, they could handle anything, face any obstacle and still come out together. His life was complete.  
  
_Complete_. He thought about that word as he repeated it over and over again in his mind. He would never be complete again. Never. He simply no longer cared about anyone, or anything. Except revenge.  
  
It was what kept him going, after all. Revenge on those that had snatched his love away from him forever. His hands clenched tightly as he mulled that thought over in his mind.   
  
His desire for revenge against those who had caused so much pain to him overwhelmed him at times, and he would cry out. His co-workers would turn, looking at him strangely, but with sympathy. _They don't understand_, he thought. _I have lost everything, and have nothing left. They go home to their families, and live happy little lives. They don't understand. They can't._   
  
One other did understand. Ron, his best friend understood what he had lost, because he too had lost someone dear to him. But his best friend had his brothers to fall back on; even when all was lost, his best friend had other family. _I have no one left, _the raven haired man told himself.  
  
He watched the world pass him by, unnoticed by all but the most observant of wizards. Although he was tall, and some would say good-looking, the lack of regard for himself and basic hygiene prevented most from approaching him. His coal black hair was unkempt, and long strands wound their greasy way down his neck and upper back. His tall frame had become gaunt, and he rarely performed any action that required more than the most basic of motor skills. By far the most interesting feature about him was his scar. Of all the changes in the past year, the scar was one of the few constants. It was lightning shaped, and sat slightly to the right of the center of his forehead. The scar burned, a constant, dull pain, which alerted him to the mischief of his enemy.  
  
Exactly a year ago, the scar's searing flame had burned into him, and he took notice, rising instantly from his Auror's meeting. He fled the room, his best friend following behind. The memory of that day played itself out behind the man's irises. He closed his eyes, remembering.  
  
  
_The warm summer day wound it's way around an Auror's meeting. He sat between Remus Lupin and Ron Weasley, and listened to Charlie Weasley make a report of the weeks activity.  
  
Then it hit. A blinding pain, so powerful that he struggled not to black out from the pain. A flash of greenish light flickered across his shut eyes, and he saw the women he loved crumple to the floor.  
  
"No!" He cried, jumping up and dragging Ron out of the room behind him.   
  
"What is it Harry?" his best friend asked as the pair fled down the corridor towards the exit, and a safe apparition point.  
  
In ragged breaths he answered, "They've attacked our flat." Ron, Harry, Hermione and Lavender Brown shared a flat together in London. "I think-"  
  
"Don't say it." Ron told him fearfully. "I don't want to believe it."  
  
They had reached the exit, and ran out of the building. In an instant, their wands were whipped out and they had Disapparated from the front of the building.   
  
It took them only a few moments to reach the alley beside their building. They went into the street cautiously, watching for signs of Dark activity. Ron stopped, and grabbed a hold of Harry's should to stop him as well.   
  
"What is it Ron?" he asked, and then Ron pointed above them. A blight on the otherwise cloudless day floated above the building. A skull, with a writhing snake blazed across the horizon. "No!" he said resolutely, although his stomach became tied in knots at the sight and he could no longer truly deny what had become a real possibility.  
  
Taking one step at a time, the pair entered the building, and climbed the three flights of stairs to their flat. A plan red door greeted them. Harry whispered a complex Unlocking Charm, and the door creaked open.  
  
Inside the flat, nothing was disturbed. Everything was just as they had left it that morning. Harry rushed through the five rooms, becoming ever more relieved that nothing seemed wrong. He saved the room that he and his wife shared, wanting to make sure that nothing could be wrong, that he had mistaken her death for something else. Hands shaking with trepidation, he pushed the door open.  
  
What greeted him was eerily serene. Hermione lay on her side of the bed, billowing hair spread out around her. She looked so peaceful, so calm. She must have come home from work and taken a nap, which is how her attackers found her. Harry cautiously walked up to her, and put his hand on hers.   
  
It was then that he saw her forehead. Cut out of the creamy skin was the one word that she could never escape from - Mudblood.   
  
Harry let out a cry, and Ron came running from the kitchen into the room.  
  
"Lavender--" Ron stopped, unable to speak. Harry's heart felt like breaking in two. It was as if everything that he did no longer mattered to him; no matter how many lives he saved, or Dark wizards he defeated, he would never speak to the only thing that truly mattered to him again.   
  
He began to cry uncontrollably. Huge sobs wracked the room, Harry's tears wetting his cloak, the clothes underneath and the bedspread.   
  
"It's not fair!" he screamed to the ceiling. "They were innocent of anything but loving us! Why do you have to take them now? Why?" Harry's words drowned in a sea of tears that could not stop.  
  
His grief and madness overtook him. Harry began to lash out at anything and everything. Ron, crying his own tears, backed out of the room and closed the door, leaving Harry alone with his emotions.   
  
Taking a long look at his wife, he noticed the letter that had been placed beside her. He picked it up, the crisp parchment crackling in his hands. His blurry eyes began to read the text, his rage becoming more and more palpable every moment.  
  
  
Dear Mister Potter,  
  
I have taken the liberty to write you this little note, which you will undoubtedly find. Yes, your Mudblood wife is dead, and I am glad to be rid of her. Nothing you can do can affect the fact that I will always be the stronger of us, the brighter, more power one. Your wife was sleeping when we took her from you, as was the other girl. An unfortunate turn of events, but you will understand why I couldn't let her live as well. As we know each other so very well Harry, I don't mind telling you that. Are you angry, Harry? Does your rage fill you? I'm sure it does, because you are the angry type. Remember, Harry, that I am watching you. No one that you love or care for is safe from me. Since you defeated me the first time, the battle has always been between you and I. No one else. You will face me again, and when you do, no Protection Charm of your halfblooded mother's will be able to protect you. You will fall.  
  
But back to your wife. Let's just say that I will enjoy thinking about your pain, your suffering. And who knows, I may still be able to convince you to join me. Have a good day.  
  
Best Wishes,  
You-Know-Who  
  
  
Harry's hands shook with fury at the sight of the letter. His mind roiled as he thought about torturing his greatest enemy. It took great effort, but he got his rage in check and made a silent promise to himself. He promised to become harder than steel, unable to bend or break, so that Voldemort would not be able to wrench his heart again. He promised to honor her memory forever. But the last promise to himself was the most important. Harry promised himself that he would never rest until his thirst for revenge had been satisfied.  
  
  
_Harry barely remembered the next few weeks. Nothing could stop his outbursts of rage until he himself calmed down. He gradually pushed all of his old friends away from his life, allowing only Ron, whom he still lived with, access to his thoughts.   
  
Ron watched as his best friend went from blissfully happy to a shadow of his former in a few short weeks. Harry drew away from everyone but him, and even then contact with Harry was limited to as few words as possible. Ron wondered often whether or not the Harry that he had grown up with even still existed.  
  
"Harry?" A thin reedy tenor broke his thoughts. Harry's dull gaze turned towards the voice and nodded to Neville Longbottom, a classmate of his from Hogwarts. "I'm leaving the reports on Dark activity on your desk. Is that all right?" Neville managed to squeak out. Although Neville was a great Auror, something about Harry scared him, just as the old Potions professor at Hogwartsw used to scare him.  
  
"Humph." Harry snorted, and Neville scurried away. He had just returned to the recesses of his mind when a second voice interrupted him. This bass he knew like the back of his hand, and did not have to look to see who it was.  
  
"Harry? Are you in there? Hello?" Ron, although Lavender was gone, had more or less returned to his daily routine, and many times, and many times his jokes were the one thing that Harry could look forward to during his daily existence. Ron placed his calloused wand hand on Harry's thin shoulder and sat next to him.  
  
"Yes?" Harry sounded weary.  
  
"Not very talkative today, are you?"  
  
"Do you know what today is, Ron?" Harry replied with a sigh.  
  
"Harry, could we not talk about it please?" Ron's good nature slipped, and he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "I know what day it is, and I'm trying my best to forget."  
  
"Okay." The conversation lapsed into silence, and the pair of friends watched as the office bustled about.   
  
"Weasley and Potter, there's a incoming fire message for you. Please report to fire alcove #7." The Aurors kept ten fireplaces for agent conversations handy. Harry and Ron stood wordlessly, and each hoped that their personal revenge would be settled on this day, the year anniversary of each of their loved one's deaths.  
  
  
They walked into the fire alcove and sat down on the hard wooden bench that had been provided for them. Two heads poked through the crackling flames. Ron's stomach tightened at the sight of the two faces. One was his former enemy. The other was the reason that that enmity had dissolved. Ginny, Ron's sister and Draco Malfoy wore similar expressions, both worried and nervous.  
  
"What's up?" Ron asked the bodyless figures.  
  
"It's today." Ginny replied to her brother. Ron knew immediately what she referred to. He grew pale.  
  
"What? Are you sure?"  
  
Draco spoke with his familiar drawl "Really, Weasley. Would we tell you something like this to spite you? We have more class than that." Draco smirked and Ron reflected that some things about Draco never changed.  
  
"Enough, Draco." Ginny scolded her husband softly. "Today is-" She began, but Draco cut her off.  
  
"I know bloody well what today is. Do you think I'm blind? Potter's sulking, Weasley's sulking, and our Master picks *this day* to attack Hogwarts. Yeah, I know what today is," he finished, his pale face flushed.  
  
"Stop." Harry spoke for the first time, and the other three fell silent. Harry waited for a moment and then continued. "When?"  
  
Draco seemed reluctant to reply. Ron thought he saw Ginny gently nudge her husband "In an hour."  
  
Harry looked thoughtful "That doesn't give us much time. Why didn't we hear of this from any of the others?"  
  
"The Dark Lord wanted to keep this to himself. Will you be ready?"  
  
"Yes." Harry spoke just the one word, but in it the body behind the rimmed classes placed all of the hopes and dreams of the wizarding world. And his own revenge. "How many attackers will there be?"  
  
"Several hundred, if I understood correctly." Ginny said to the raven haired man. She looked over her shoulder and her voice became more urgent. "I hear someone coming. Anything else you need?"  
  
"No," Ron replied. "Ginny, Draco, be careful. Are any of your 'friends' turning?"  
  
Draco's eyes darkened "A few. We'll be together, so look for us. The only request I have is that I get to destroy my father." Draco's voice turned cold at the mention of his father, a man who he despised for the pain that he had caused his beloved Ginny, for whom he would give his life.   
  
"Wouldn't have it any other way." Harry smirked morbidly. "See you soon." Draco and Ginny disappeared from the fire, just as Harry and Ron stood.  
  
The two men walked quickly out of the alcove, and into the main corridor. Harry looked at Ron curiously as they walked to their desks.  
  
"What?" Ron asked, unaware that he had been nodding his head and mumbling to himself.  
  
"What are you thinking about, Ron?"   
  
"That incident at the Burrow. Do you remember it?"  
  
"I do." Harry did remember it, and the memories were not happy ones.  
  
  
_It was three weeks after Ron, Harry and Hermione had left Hogwarts. The three of them as well as Ginny lay just outside of the garden, watching the marshmallow clouds roll by. All three of the former seventh years were in short sleeves, but Ginny had refused to put on anything that would bear her arms, muttering something about the sun and her pale skin.  
  
"I wonder what trouble Malfoy's getting himself into at this moment?" Harry asked the sky.   
  
"Don't know, but whatever it is it had better not involve me." Ron replied.  
  
Ginny was silent, thinking about the best time to say something. She scratched her left arm absently "Guys?" she began tentatively. Her voice trailed off.  
  
"Yeah Gin?" Hermione prompted, her hand intertwined with Harry's.  
  
"I need to tell you something about Draco."  
  
"What about Draco?" Ron quickly asked her, his voice on edge. Ron had a suspicion that Draco and Ginny had been seeing each other for months. He did not, however, realize how far along things had become.  
  
"He took the Mark."  
  
Harry sputtered. That was not at all unexpected, even from Draco, but why was Ginny telling them this? "Ginny, is there something you're keeping from us?" Hermione asked cautiously.  
  
"I've been dating him for almost a year." she replied softly.  
  
"What was that Ginny? I don't think that the gnomes heard that." Ron spat.  
  
"I've been seeing Draco for almost a year now. And a month ago-" she gasped with what she was about to say. Three of the four people that she cared most about stared at her in shock. Ron's face had gone red, and he was shaking, by his very appearance seeming to threaten Draco within an inch of his life if he ever set a finger on Ginny. Harry's brow had furrowed, as if he was deep in thought. And Hermione looked at the younger girl with a curious expression on her face. She said quietly,  
  
"What were you going to say Ginny?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"No. What is it? You've been avoiding us for a month now. And the other sixth years have noticed the same thing. You can tell us." She tried to sound reassuring, but it wasn't working very well.  
  
"I can't tell you. Have you ever done something that everyone will suspect you did for the wrong reasons, but you know that you're right?"  
  
"Yes," Hermione replied tentatively, remembering the incident with the Firebolt in their third year.  
  
"I've done something like that. But I can't tell you-"  
  
"Ginny, what is going on with you?" Ron's dam had broken, and words spilled forth from it at a furious pace. "If you can't trust family, then who can you trust? I may not like that snobbish, back-biting git of a Malfoy, but you are family. Regardless of your relationship to him," he said finally.  
  
"That's not all," Ginny steeled herself for the onslaught when she next opened her mouth. "Do you remember when I was in hospital wing for a week two months ago?"  
  
"Yes," Harry said.  
  
"I didn't have a run-in with one of Hagrid's beasts. When I came back, when you found me in the morning, I had been at a Death Eater-" She got no further. Harry's emeralds blazed in fury at her.  
  
"Don't say it!" He reached over Hermione's body and grabbed Ginny's left arm. He roughly pulled the sleeve up, and gave a hiss of fury when he saw what lay on her arm.  
  
A snake slithering out of a skull. The Dark Mark.   
  
"Ginny! How could you?" Harry could barely say her name. Ron shook with fury, while Hermione simply stared.  
  
"Could you take it Harry? I had no choice. I went to support Draco, who needs me. Not as the little sister, or as the madly in love first year, but as me. I wanted to help him."  
  
"Malfoy is a-"  
  
She raised a hand to stop Harry. "No, he's not. He can be an insufferable git sometimes as can you and my brother, but he is also sweet, and kind and loyal."  
  
"To his father, and Voldemort." Harry retorted. It was all he could do to not slap sense into her right there and then.   
  
Ginny's eyes narrowed "No. To Dumbledore. Do you honestly think that the headmaster would let him take the Mark without some sort of protection? Dumbledore may be a mad wizard but he is not stupid. And he is loyal to me," she finished.   
  
"Draco will never be loyal to anyone but Draco," Harry stated flatly.  
  
"What do you know, Harry? Dumbledore trusts him. We plan to spy for Dumbledore. How better to do it than to take the highest Death Eater's son and turn him into a spy. With his girlfriend by his side. Harry, I'm still Ginny," she said, frantically trying to pull Harry out of the anger that he was feeling.  
  
"Are you? Did Vol--" Harry stoped as Hermione and Ron flinched "did *he* make you perform any of the Unforgivables?" Ginny didn't answer, just looked down.. He obviously had. Harry's voice was dangerously quiet. "How did you feel Ginny? Listen to me, Virginia Weasley. Your decision was stupid, plain and simple. Draco Malfoy will never change. What happens when he-"  
  
He was stopped by a stinging sensation on the side of his cheek. Ginny had moved so fast that he never saw the slap coming. He was reminded of the time in his third year when Hermione had slapped Draco.  
  
Ginny had had enough. She stood toe to toe with Harry, breathing angrily, "Shut up, Harry. You don't know anything about Draco, or about me, and you never will. He has changed, and we will prove you wrong!" She replied to his commentary, and walked away.  
  
  
_In fact, Draco and Ginny had proven Harry wrong, and they were now two of the most important spies that Dumbledore had in the Death Eater camp. Harry couldn't blame either of them for Hermione's death, not really, but for almost a month after the funeral he wouldn't speak to them. But the wounds had closed partially, and he was able to speak with them once more, after he focused his rage and loss onto one single being.  
  
The two men reached the center of the spacious office, which was filled with anxious Aurors. Ron pointed his dark wand at his throat and said "_Sonorus_." He took a deep breath, and launched into the moment of truth.  
  
"I've received word that the attack on Hogwarts is taking place one hour from now." When he paused, there was a stunned silence for a moment, and then everyone suddenly became very busy. "Does everyone have what they need? In the interests of security, we've been training you for certain tasks, and now it has come time to reveal our master battle plan. Everyone will be with their units defending the castle. Dumbledore will have no time to evacuate the younger students so they will be in the center of the castle. The older students will be out with us defending themselves and their classmates."  
  
"This is it ladies and gentlemen. The final battle. We win, and You-Know-Who will be defeated and killed. I don't want to consider the alternatives." He finished, and then thought of something further. "Also, we have a few Death Eater operatives. If any of the Death Eaters make this sign," he wiggled his wand a few times, muttered a few words, and an image of the Hogwarts crest appeared before him, "then they are the operatives. Under no circumstances are they to be touched. Another thing. No one takes Lucius Malfoy. His son wants that honor," he finally finished grimly. A few Aurors that had heard what he said gasped, but truly were not all that surprised. He had married a Weasley after all, even a Weasley that had become a Death Eater, granted, but no one believed that he was anything but a lesser version of his father.  
  
  
One half hour before the attack was scheduled to begin, the more than two hundred assembled Aurors from around Britain stood in ten perfect rows in the center of the cavernous office. Harry drew his wand out of his left breast pocket, and looked to Ron. The other man nodded, and Harry said something softly to a panel in the wall. Glowing briefly, the panel faded to a dull metallic gray afterwards.  
  
"The Anti-Apparition wards are down. Let's go. Harry, you'll be right behind us on Floo?"  
  
Harry simply nodded in reply. No more words were needed as the compliment of wizards and witches Disapparated. Finally alone, Harry went to work. He reset the panel to the Anti-Apparition wards, and crossed quickly to one of the Floo stations. He took a pinch of the powder out and paused, thinking.  
  
_I will have my revenge, Voldemort. Today is the last time you will harm another. Hermione, watch over me. I grieve for you, my love. Forgive me._  
  
For a moment his steely exterior fought tears, but he would not let grief overcome him, not today. A calm settled over him, and he made peace with himself, just as he always had since her death. With nary a thought more, he threw the Floo powder into the fire and yelled "Hogsmede!" , running into the fire as he did so.  
  
  
A/N - Amazing thanks go out to my beta (yes, I have one now) Nancy! (Claps loudly!) Well? Any thoughts? New Chapters Should (And I repeat, Should) come out once a week, Friday mornings. Please leave reviews, you know what to do. Chapter 2 is on the way! Yay! Hope you enjoyed it.   
  
A/N 2 - Thanks again to all of you who read/reviewed my other two works.   



	2. Chapter 2 - Dies Irae

Chapter 2  
Dies Irae  


  
The backsides of hearths, some rough stone in place for centuries, others newly laid, spun around him. When he reached the Hogsmeade fireplace, the spinning stopped, and he grabbed the wall of the fireplace for support. Harry always hated Flooing anywhere. With a single, economical motion he climbed out of the fireplace, brushed himself off, and left the small room off of the post office.  
  
Harry found himself looking out onto the High Street of Hogsmeade as he had never seen it before. Empty. Not a soul remained in the town for anyone, good or bad, to find. Most of the residents of the village had taken refuge at Hogwarts, and were going to help the Aurors defend the last true bastion of the light.  
  
Although it was summer, and a much warmer one than ever remembered, Harry wore his traveling cloak over his plain black robes. He walked quickly up the road to Hogwarts, noting the preparations being made all over the grounds. Hexes, Charms and Curses were being laid on the great Hogwarts lawns, so that when Voldemort arrived, they would not be without defenses.  
  
There had been some intelligence as to what Voldemort was going to bring to the battle, but nothing was certain. Some said that his army would consist of Dementors, or Giants, or both, along with the Death Eaters. Harry hoped that when he reached the command tent Dumbledore would have more information that he could pass onto his teams.   
  
He almost missed the command tent, and it was only Ron's voice coming from inside that he realized where he was.   
  
"Mister Weasley, I can tell you no more. That is all that we were able to get out of him." Dumbledore spoke matter-of-factly.  
  
Harry crossed over the road, and pushed back the tent flaps. Inside the large tent was a vast command and communications center that Dumbledore had brought out just for the occasion. In the middle of the vast room stood a long table, strewn with parchments and maps of the area. A MagiMap of the Hogwarts grounds hung from the ceiling, magically marking all of the defensive spells out for the occupants of the room.  
  
Ron stood next to Remus Lupin, who was looking slightly the worse for wear, as two days ago there had been a full moon. Sirius Black flanked Remus on the other side, his face deep in concentration. Minerva McGonagall stood to the left of Dumbledore, studying the MagiMap very carefully. Dumbledore stood in the center of the group, knitting a pair of warm woolen socks.   
  
"Professor?" Harry asked once he had stepped inside.  
  
"Harry! Good to see you!" Dumbledore exclaimed, lifting his eyes from his needles.   
  
"What's the plan?" Harry continued, strangely anxious to have Voldemort arrive, so that the butterflies that had begun to creep in could go away.  
  
Sirius moved towards his godson. "Harry, are you all right?"  
  
Everyone froze. Harry took a step back from Sirius and took a deep breath. "Yes," he lied, hoping that no one would notice. If anyone had, they didn't say anything, and Sirius let the matter drop without another word.   
  
"The plan remains the same, Harry, as it was yesterday." Remus told him, steering the conversation back to the earlier topic.   
  
"Refresh my memory, please."  
  
"Here goes. We have three teams of ten creating defenses in addition to those already in place at Hogwarts. Little things, minor annoyances. We expect that Voldemort is going to attack with basically everything he has."  
  
"Which is?" Sirius cut in.  
  
"Giants, Dementors, and a few of the darker Goblins. Along with his usual entourage of Death Eaters, we should have our hands full. Do you really think we're ready?"  
  
"Remus, we're as ready as we will ever be. It's now or never. You know that." Harry reminded him. In the last year, the Dark Lord had been gaining ground against the rest of the Wizarding world, and if they could not stop him here, at Hogwarts, then they would never get the chance again.  
  
"Anything else, Aurors?" Dumbledore asked them as a group.   
  
"No." The four Aurors spoke in unison.   
  
"Good. Then if you will excuse me, I must make sure that everyone at Hogwarts is safe." Dumbledore dismissed them.  
  
  
Harry, Ron and Sirius walked out of the tent, and looked out onto the rolling grounds leading into Hogsmede.   
  
"We have only a few minutes left." Ron broke the silence, sighing.   
  
"We do." Sirius replied, just as mournful.  
  
They watched the last defenses being put up below them, and the wizards and witches trudging back up the hill.   
  
"Everything in place Neville?" Ron asked as his old classmate passed by him.  
  
"Yes. Unless it's a horde, the defenses should help us injure enough of them to do some real damage."  
  
"You've done well." Ron told the man, clasping his arm.  
  
"Thank you, Ron. Who could have imagined this almost seven years ago?"  
  
"Not I, that's for sure."  
  
Harry tuned out the conversation, instead focusing his mind back on his last day at Hogwarts. The students had been given the run of the grounds, before the Leaving Feast and taking the train back the next day.   
  
  
_"I can't believe that we're leaving." Harry's voice was filled with sadness. He walked along the lakeshore with Hermione and Ron, watching some of the younger students play in the warm summer sun.  
  
"You're coming to stay with us, right Harry?" Ron asked, hoping that Harry didn't have to go back to the Dursley's now that he was a fully trained wizard.  
  
"Yeah. Dumbledore's letting me come and stay until I can get my own flat."  
  
"Can you come as well, Hermione?" Ron asked of the girl whose hand was intertwined with Harry's.  
  
"I can, but I need to go home first. My parents want to help me get all of my things together."  
  
"Is Lavender coming?" Harry turned to his friends, and stopped walking.  
  
"She is."  
  
They said nothing more for a time, instead studying each other's faces, memorizing every detail. Although they would be together again soon, there was something about leaving their magical home for the past seven years that would carry a smidgeon of sadness as well.   
  
As if their thoughts were interconnected the trio of friends all moved together for a hug at the same time. No words were needed, not now. No words could express all that they had gone through, the fights, tears, friendship, love and experiences all coming together to cement their bond and just be part of something larger than themselves.  
Ron turned back to the school and wondered out loud,"I wonder when we'll see this place again?"_  
  
  
"Hermione never was able to see it again." Harry said to himself, not realizing that he had spoken aloud.  
  
"What was that, Harry?" Ron asked, not looking at his best friend.  
  
"I was just thinking about our last day at Hogwarts, and what you said before the feast."  
  
"She never did, did she?"  
  
"No." Harry said curtly, not wanting to be overwhelmed by grief just then. Sirius patted his shoulder and spoke softly to both of them,  
  
"They're watching over us. If there's anything I know about, it's that all of our friends, including Lavender and Hermione, are watching over us now."  
  
"Thanks." Ron replied absently, his voice distant and his eyes looking over the field towards Hogsmede. His gaze caught a lone figure running up the path, "Who's that?"  
  
"Don't know." Harry jumped up and pulled his wand out.   
  
The figure ran closer, the sun reflecting off of a silver hand. "Wormtail." Harry spat. Sirius growled, low and deep, and moved to pounce on the approaching man. "Don't," Harry continued, and moved to intercept Wormtail. Wormtail struggled feebly as Harry brought him to where Sirius and Ron stood. In all of the years and all of the dealings that Harry had had with Peter Pettigrew, he had never seen the man so ragged. Large clumps of hair were missing from his head, and one of his eyes had been replaced by a magical silver eye, which scanned the defenses of the school.  
  
"What can we do for you, Worm?" Ron mocked Peter's Marauder name, meaning it in a completely different light than the 'Padfoot' of Sirius.  
  
"My Master wishes to tell you that he is coming." The ratty man quipped, and then fell to the ground, exhausted.   
  
"Is he dead?" Ron asked hopefully as Harry bent down to check him.  
  
"Yes," Harry said with finality. Pettigrew's death did not fill him with elation as Harry had expected it to. Instead he felt...nothing. Not a thing for the man, neither good or ill. His time of contemplation, however, was cut short by Ron's urgent voice.  
  
"Harry, look!" Harry looked, and blinked. Coming over the fields behind Hogsmede was the Dark Army, made up of several dozen giants, a hundred or so Dementors, and two hundred or more Death Eaters. The green fields became black in an instant as the army came closer. Harry could pick out Voldemort in the back, with Lucius Malfoy beside him. Sirius sent up a large amount of orange sparks, which was the signal for the Aurors and the citizens of Hogsmede to come to the defensive positions.  
  
By the time everyone was assembled, the Dark Army had reached the edge of Hogsmede. Lord Voldemort called a halt, and the army parted for him to come through to the edge of the town. He raised his wand, and a blast of fire came out of the end of it, cutting through the village. A path was now cleared, and the army crossed over the remnants of the Three Broomsticks. More slowly they came now, no one wanting to be the first to see what surprises the defenders of Hogwarts had created up for them.   
  
With a wave of his wand, Voldemort called a second halt, and then sent the Dementors forward. A wavering line of cold figures made their way to the front of the Dark Army, and pushed past it. Waves of ice pounded the defender's souls as the Dementors came closer to them.  
  
"Wait!" Dumbledore called, his voice amplified a hundred times. "Wait," he said again, watching for the most opportune moment. "Now!"  
  
"_Expecto Patronum!"_ Almost a hundred voices called out at once, and a sea of silvery figures shot out of the wands and headed for the enemy. Both armies watched their opening salvos coming closer to do battle.   
  
Silver and black mixed for a moment, the Patroni from the defenders fighting to defeat the Dementors. A wordless snarl broke out of the attacking ranks, but not because they were winning; in fact, they were losing. The darkness and fear slowly melted away as the silvery shapes gained the upper hand and advanced. Although many of the Death Eaters tried to defeat the Patroni once they were close enough, nothing could be done to save the Dementors. One by one each of the Dementors were forced to become dark clouds of angry fog, floating away and diffusing into the atmosphere.  
  
Voldemort was not happy. He spoke to his remaining forces, and they began to march forward. Although the Dementors had take care of some of the hexes, the Death Eaters and giants were not free from them. Harry and Ron watched as several dozen Death Eaters, Ginny Malfoy included, fell to a fell well-placed Jelly-Legs Jinx. But it was not enough, and the defenders knew that.   
  
Wands at the ready, both sides prepared for the final battle between the dark and the light. With a word, the wizards and witches on both sides began to charge each other.  
  
Colored light flew everywhere. Spells, hexes, curses & charms zinged around Harry as he dodged as many as he could. Thin bands of green light flew across the battlefield, hitting both sides. It was chaotic. Harry hit a masked Death Eater with a heavy Stunning Curse, and moved on. He knew what he had to do, and he knew who he had to fight. His demeanor was not frantic or rushed. Harry learned, long ago about keeping cool under fire and not letting the peripheral attacks get to you.   
  
Without warning a Hogwarts crest flew into the sky, followed by a dozen others. The Dark Army was confused, and many on the other side took that moment of confusion to inflict more damage. The Dark Army began to buckle under the confusion of almost a dozen Death Eaters suddenly switching sides, Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy among them. Oliver Wood, Dennis Creevey and Justin Finch-Fletchly had all swtiched as well, and began attacking their former Master.   
  
Neither Voldemort nor Luicus Malfoy had entered the fight directly yet, although they were casting spells to those they could make eye contact with. Lucius leaned into his Master, and whispered something. Voldemort nodded, smiling, and Lucius entered the fray. Harry caught sight of Draco, dueling with a masked Eater, and watched his father fight to get to him. Harry, realizing what Lucius was going to do, made for Draco as fast as he could.  
  
He and Lucius got there at the same time. "Behind you!" Harry cried, forcing Draco to whirl around and yell "_Expelliarmus_!" just as his father was beginning the Killing Curse. He and his father both dodged each other's spells.  
  
"Father." Draco said curtly.  
  
"Son. You have betrayed us. You have betrayed me." Lucius sounded more angry at this act of defiance than anything else. "I thought we had settled this matter."  
  
"No, father, we didn't, not really." Draco told his father, steel eyes locking onto steel eyes.  
  
"Do you need to be taught another lesson?" A warning.  
  
"I do not. Your lessons are not very informative," Draco retorted, watching for an opening.   
  
"They are, none the less, taught. _Crucio!_" A beam of light shot of of Lucius's wand, Draco dodged it, and it hit one of the circling wizards in the chest instead.  
  
"You should be more careful, father, you might anger me enough to cause you serious harm. _Doleo!_" A blue beam hit Lucius in his wand shoulder and he fought to retain a grip on the wand.   
  
After a moment, Lucius had countered the spell, and looked on his son coldly. He smiled. "That was not advisable, Draco." With a quick look around the circle, Lucius saw Ginny Weasley watching with intensity. Smiling coolly, he flicked his wand to her and said "_Avada Kedvara!"_  
  
Time slowed, and Ginny seemed to realize too late what was headed for her. She tried to duck, to dodge, to get out of the way, but the press of people was too great. Draco watched with horror as the love of his life, his reason for being, crumpled before him. He turned to his father, steel eyes darkened to slate with hatred for the man who stood before him.  
  
"Do you see now the lesson that I must teach you, you insolent boy?" Lucius sneered, confident in his victory over the boy.  
  
"Like father, like son." Draco pointed his wand at his father.  
  
"Exactly." Lucius's upper lip curled even further.  
  
"I must be more like you."  
  
"You're getting the message now."  
  
"Then there's only one thing to do, then. _Avada Kedvara!" _The circle of wizards and witches watched as a bolt of green light, the product of years of hatred and resentment towards his father, shot out of his wand and hit his father in the face. Lucius fell immediately, but Draco turned away.   
  
Harry fought his way to Draco, who was cradling Ginny in his arms, his head bowed.  
  
"He killed her." Draco said, not believing that she was gone.   
  
"I understand." Harry looked into Draco's eyes, and his heart went out to the man who had risked so much to be with the one he loved.   
  
"Yes, you do, don't you." This was said without malice but instead with simple acceptance. "I'll Disapparate to somewhere safe. I can't do this anymore, Harry."  
  
Harry simply nodded, and a moment later, Draco and Ginny were gone.   
  
  
The battle became more frenzied, if that was possible, after the duel between Draco and Lucius. As the day dragged on, both sides threw their reserves into the fight; still evenly matched, after all that had happened.   
  
Remus and Dumbledore stood on the ridge, looking over the battle site.   
  
"Albus, what is Harry doing?" Remus asked the old wizard.  
  
"Looking for Voldemort." Dumbledore replied, just as calm as if Lupin had asked him about the weather. Remus grew angry at the headmaster's lack of concern.  
  
"What do you mean looking for Voldemort?"  
  
"Just what I said. Harry is looking for Voldemort. That will be the duel that will decide the battle. If Voldemort is killed, then we will prevail. There is no one who could take over the Dark Lord's position if he were to be killed. Lucius Malfoy could have, but he's dead now."  
  
"Ginny--" Lupin began, interrupting Dumbledore.  
  
Dumbledore's voice was soft "Miss Weasley was a tragic mistake. We can do no more now than mourn her once this is over, which ever way the battle goes."   
  
"Why aren't you fighting, then?" Remus asked, exasperated by Dumbledore's lack of concern.  
  
"My place is here. I can do no more than oversee the battle. I am a hundred and fifty years old, Remus, what can I do? My fight was with Grindelwald, not Voldemort. Harry is the one history has chosen for that honor. And if we're lucky, we will see the end today."  
  
"Today?"  
  
"Today. Oh look, I dropped a stitch." Dumbledore's focus shifted to his knitting for a moment, and then returned to the battle. Remus Lupin began to pace. "Mister Lupin, I would advise you to stop pacing. Mister Potter has found Voldemort." Remus stopped in mid-stride and turned to the battlefield. The headmaster was correct. The two enemies had indeed found each other.  
  
  
Harry let all his feelings drain from him, isolating him further from the world around him. Voldemort and he circled each other, their wands at the ready.  
  
"Hello, Tom," Harry began, hoping to find a weakness in his opponent before Voldemort could find one in him. Once the sound of the his old name hit Voldemort, he stiffened, not wanting to hear the name that he thought he had left behind long ago.  
  
"Hello, Harry. We meet again."  
  
"Indeed," Harry agreed. "How are you?"  
  
"Patient. Yourself?"  
  
"The same. I can wait."  
  
Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "You plan to win?"  
  
"Don't you?" Harry retorted, becoming swept up in the game of verbal exchange.  
  
"I do. But I will win, while your outcome is not so certain."   
  
"Surely?" Harry raised an eyebrow, matching Voldemort's expression and looked into the devilish red slits that Voldemort called eyes  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I thought your name was Tom?" Harry smiled at his own wit.  
  
Voldemort's sense of humor, had he ever had one, was gone now. "My name is Voldemort. _Crucio!_" Harry dodged the spell, and the two men continued circling.  
  
"You can do better than that, can't you?"  
  
"I can. _Imperio!"_ Harry was not quick enough, and he felt a familiar compulsion to Voldemort sink into his very bones. "Now, Harry, bow to me."  
  
Harry felt as if he was floating in his own mind. He felt the _need_ to bow, to beg forgiveness and be accepted and loved by Voldemort. But there was another part of his mind that asked him _why_ he felt the need. _Why was it so important?_ With great effort, he regained control of his mind.  
  
Acting as if he was under the Imperius Curse, he began to inch towards his enemy, bowing. Suddenly he lunged forward, and headbutted the Dark Lord in the stomach. His weight was just enough to force Voldemort to topple over. Harry yelled "_Expelliarmus_" and the circle of people, both Death Eaters and Aurors watched as Harry's and Voldemort's wands, brothers, were united in Harry's hand.   
  
"Harry--" Voldemort began, his voice betraying his fear.  
  
"No. Don't say it. You've caused enough pain and anguish. You cannot beg for your life. Not after what you put me and the rest of my world through. _Avada   
Kedvara!"_   
  
A great beam of green light shot out of the ends of both of the wands. Time stretched as Voldemort vainly tried to avoid being hit, but the Killing Curse hit him in the stomach, burying its light in his body. A blood chilling scream escaped his lips as his breathing stopped. The Dark Lord was dead.   
  
No one moved. Not a sound was uttered from the lips of anyone for almost a full minute. The Death Eaters could not believe that their protection had died, leaving them without a Dark Lord to serve, and the Aurors and their allies couldn't believe that it was over.   
  
Over. The long war against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters was over. After thirty plus years, it was over. A sense of reality came back to the Death Eaters first, the more intelligent of whom decided that it would be best if they began to retreat. They ran. Masks fell away as the Death Eaters could no longer concern themselves with their coverings, but their personal safety instead.   
  
Only a few were able to start running. Just as soon as the first Death Eater moved to run to beyond the Apparation Wards, the Aurors responded with cries of "_Impedimenta!"_, which caused the retreating Death Eaters to stop in place. Once they had been stopped, a calm settled over the battlefield.  
  
For the first time in three decades, a peace had settled over Hogwarts. A lasting peace, that would help the current generation of students grow up without fear of their families being killed.  
  
All over the grounds, Aurors weary from the day of battle and the long struggle to overthrow Voldemort were congratulating each other, and using Levitation Charms to bring the prisoners to their headquarters. Harry looked around for Ron's flame hair, and found it walking down the road to him.  
  
Harry had never been this exhausted mentally, emotionally or physically and every sinew and cell in his body ached. Not just from the day's exertions, but from the fourteen years of dedication. His defenses began to crumple. A few Aurors tried to approach him, to give words of encouragement and celebration, but he warded them away with a raised hand.   
  
Ron approached him warily, noting that previous attempts to talk to Harry had met with failure.  
  
"'lo," Ron tried.  
  
"Hello," Harry replied, too tired and worn to even look at his oldest and best friend.   
  
"Are you okay?" The last bits of masonry crumbled, and the walls that had kept Harry Potter intact for years finally fell apart. He stood in Ron's arms, sobs wracking his body. The stress of all of years of fighting finally caught up with him.  
  
"I don't want to do this anymore, Ron." Harry cried through the tears.  
  
"Neither do I, Harry," Ron said to him missing the point entirely, and soon joined his friend in crying for their lost loves and their shattered dreams.  
  
They stood in the middle of the field for what seemed like hours. The sky grew dark, and the number of Aurors on the scene decreased dramatically as they brought the last prisoners away.  
  
Finally Ron broke away. "I need to see Ginny and Draco. Will you come with me?" he asked hopefully. Ron didn't want to have to face his sister's death alone.  
  
"I'll be along soon, I promise." Harry said, looking into Ron's eyes. Ron nodded and walked away towards the castle.  
  
Harry was alone with his thoughts, but he no longer wanted to cry out to the world. In fact, he felt quite empty inside.  
  
_I meant what I said, Ron. I don't want to do this anymore._ _Hermione, I miss you more than I can think about. Your love meant so much to me, and kept me going during the Diagon Alley attacks. Why did he have to take you? I ask myself that everyday, and I still don't have an answer. I love you, and miss you. Your protection saved me. Take good care of Ginny for us. I'll see you soon, my love.  
  
_Harry squeezed his emerald eyes shut for a moment, opened them, and made his way back to Hogwarts.  
  
  
A/N - 'Dies Irae' refers to the Day of Judgement, which I thought was an appropriate title for this chapter. Much priase and thanks goes to Nancy, my wonderfully amazing beta. Please read/review and tell me what you think. Good, bad, etc. Again, the next chapter will be up on Friday, and if you want me to, I will create an e-mail list that will go out to people on Thursday to remind them that the next chapter is coming out. Just leave your e-mail, and I will.  
  
White Lady - Thanks. I will be revising my other two and putting them back up eventually, once I'm happy with them.   
  
JSP - Don't worry about the time. I like getting reviews all week. Thanks for keeping up with my fiction...  
  
KarateChick - Here's the next chapter...  
  
Lana Potter - I'm actually a Switzerland shipper on FAP. Or at least I was until I joined a ship. Oh well.  
  
Sandra - Thanks, even though you liked the rough draft better. When am I going to post the fantasy? As soon as I re-write the first chapter to my satisfaction...  
  
Idono - I seem to be collecting names. Mister Meany Head, Mr. Brilliant. Anyone want to add any others?  
  
Christy - Did he get his revenge?  
  
Terra - So long as you continue to write amazing reviews like that, it won't matter where you are. :) And no, I won't kill Dumbledore in this story.  
  
ChoWannabe - I'm sorry for the confusion. No, this is not a prequel. I will, if people wish me to, write about Harry & Co's sixth year. This is not it. I will, if there's interest...  
  
Celeste - Hope the formal went well. Yeah...R/L. I have to put Harry with someone, and Hermione seemed the obvious choice, because if Draco's not with Harry than he has to be with Ginny. (Who I have a problem with anyway...read the Gin&Vomit thread on FAP if you wish to be more enlightened about my Ginny-thing)  
  
twingirl04 - Thanks. Here's the next chapter.  
  
Sarah Hillen of Gryffindor - Thanks for the review. The whole death thing is interesting, I never really noticed it until you mentioned it.  
  
Spike's Girl - MMH strikes again? And Mr. Brilliant, as well, apparently. I like titles.  
Mister Meany Head  
Mister Brilliant  
Secretary to Lord Voldemort,  
Dark Lord  
  
Aviana - Thanks for coming along. It should be good. I like the concepts.  
  
Lunar - It doesn't. Thanks.  
  
Crazycutee831 - It won't be five chapters. I'm only at 2 and Harry isn't even out of England yet. (Oops, did I say that. Oh well)  
  
Urania - My first reviewer for 'Requiem"! Thank you so much! Hope you enjoyed this last chapter!  
  



	3. Chapter 3 - Pax

Requiem  
Chapter 3  
Pax  


  
On that Day of Remembrance, the sky was crystal blue and the sun shone brightly. All over wizarding Britain, there were celebrations that had lasted a week. Harry, Ron, Draco and the surviving Weasleys hardly noticed any of it. They made appearances towards the end of the week, at the Ministry dinner given in their honor, but they kept to themselves, not eating and hardly speaking to anyone.   
  
On the morning of the funeral, Harry wandered up to the top of the Astronomy Tower, to get a better view of the preparations. And to be alone. Not simply with his thoughts, because he was always alone in his thoughts, but physically alone. He just wanted to think about what had happened. Nightmares of the battle haunted him night after night, scary in their intensity and now he hardly slept for fear of the intensity of their reccurance.  
  
None of the nightmares were ever the same. In one, he and Voldemort died together. In another, Voldemort won, crushing all opposition before him. In some, the Hogwarts crest was never thrown up, and both Draco and Ginny ended up, alive, but in the custody of the Aurors. In others, Draco died, leaving Ginny alone with her grief. Anyway that the dreams recurred, in any combination, was hell. Harry woke up night after night, sweating as he had not done since Hermione's funeral.  
  
Harry watched, perched on one of the windowsills, as the monument was polished for the final time, and the names of the fallen inscribed into it. He watched behind his trademark glasses as the cemetery was prepared and the number of graves astounded and saddened him. So many lives lost. Ginny Weasley-Malfoy...Neville Longbottom...Severus Snape...Denis Creevey...the names of the lost floated around in his head, threatening to overwhelm him once again. It was almost as if with Hermione's death a year ago, coupled with Ginny's exactly a year later, something vital within hm had been switched off. Whether it was the victory over Voldemort and thus the end of the war, or her death having been so senseless and tragic, Harry could no longer keep the walls up that had supported him for the last year.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by the distinct sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. Harry turned towards the doorway, and watched a figure step into the bright light of the Astronomy Tower.   
  
Draco Malfoy was a wreck. His normally well groomed hair hung loosely in a ponytail, and his regular icy composure had been...disrupted. He had cried for her, but those tears had stopped running now that cold reality had set in.. His eyes had deep bags under them, and Harry's heart went out to Draco, for he understood what the other man was going through.   
  
"Hello, Draco." Harry couldn't bring himself to use Draco's surname. It just seemed so...harsh.  
  
"Harry." Draco's voice was hollow, as if he was a million miles away. Everything that was Draco was gone, it seemed. Draco moved to the window next to Harry's and opened it, looking at the ground speculatively   
  
"I wouldn't, if I were you," Harry told the other man.  
  
"Why not? What else do I have to live for? There's nothing left for me here."  
  
"Isn't there?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure."  
  
Draco turned on Harry. "What do you know? You're not the one who has the Ministry breathing down his neck because he was a Death Eater! I've lost everything, don't you understand? My life, my home...my wife." He choked back a sob, "I've nothing left to keep me here. Nothing." Draco put his foot on the windowsill.  
  
"But that's not what it's really about, Draco, is it? I have been where you are." Harry climbed out of his seat and walked to the other man and embraced him from behind. "Hermione was my love. When he murdered her, I was broken inside. Outside, I put on a mask of indifference after a while, of cold hatred. But inside, the fires still burned and I cried myself to sleep for months afterwards. Sometimes I still do."  
  
"What are you saying, Potter?" Draco quietly replied.  
  
"What I'm saying is that you need to be strong for yourself. Give yourself a purpose. Don't forget about her, or let your love die, but make sure to live. Because I never did, and look where it's gotten me," Harry gently helped Draco down from the window.  
  
"I don't know what to say to that." Draco sighed, took a handkerchief from his pocket, and blew his nose..   
  
"Sometimes it's best not to say anything." Harry paused before leading the other man back down the stairs. "And Draco?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Don't worry about the Ministry. Everything will work out for the best. Arthur's got quite a bit of pull now, and your diversion won the battle for us. That fact, while the Ministry may not like it, cannot be ignored. You will be allowed back into the Manor, as well as your Gringotts account."  
  
"But that doesn't help here." Draco put his hand over his heart.  
  
"Nothing can. Only time can begin to do that. That is something that you will have to work out for yourself, Draco."  
  
"Thank you." Draco's voice, normally so confident, was now little more than a whisper.  
  
Harry smiled thinly. "You're welcome. Come on, we've got to get down to the Great Hall. It's almost eleven."  
  
  
Harry sat next to Ron, both of them silent and unmoving as stuffed robe after stuffed robe stood and spoke on the heroism of the fallen and the hope of the wizarding world. There was only one thing that Harry had wanted to hear, and he had not heard it yet. In fact, the memorial was almost over, and the funeral would begin soon. Harry watched as Professor Dumbledore stood, looking much older than his one hundred and fifty years, and approach the small podium that had been set up at the front of the Great Hall.  
  
The Headmaster cleared his throat, fixed his glasses, and took a quick look out over the crowd before beginning.  
  
"Thank you all for being here on this Day of Remembrance. I am the last to speak today, before we lay our friends and colleagues to rest, so I will attempt to keep this simple. We've heard from various Ministers extolling the virtues of this person, or that fallen hero or celebrating their sacrifice. I will have none of that. Today is a day of grief. A day of sadness. Nothing else. Now is not the time to go around patting ourselves on the back." He paused, and glared at some of the officials who had spoken. Obviously they had not lost anyone. "How many of you have lost someone that you love? How many can sit there and say that no one in their family was affected?"  
  
Harry took his eyes off Dumbledore for a moment to look around at the other officials. Cornelius Fudge was trying not to look unhappy at Dumbledore's speech, but was being fairly unsuccessful at it. Dumbledore continued.  
  
"I can name a hundred wizards and witches that laid down their lives for our cause. And that does not even begin to adress the numbers we lost. They will be remembered forever by those present and by future generations. We cannot forget their sacrifice and allow our actions to waver. This must never happen again for us to retain our freedoms. But without responsibility, there is no freedom. All of us, both wizard and Muggle, have a responsibility to protect what is right and good in this world, lest the darkness overcome us all."  
  
Harry closed his eyes and thought about those words. _A responsibility to protect what is right and good. Hermione, I didn't do that, did I? I let you die. You died because I loved you._ He thought to himself, tears gathered behind his eyelids. A similar funeral, just over a year ago, played out in his exhausted mind.  
  
  
_He stood beside the coffin in silence. No tears came, although they were simmering right below the thin wall that he had set up for himself. All of his family and friends had turned out for the double funeral. Words. Everything that they said were words, and nothing more.  
  
"Let us remember these two souls in our grief, and hold them close to our hearts," Harry heard one of the speakers say. He had stopped listening to the words, those empty and cold phrases, a long time ago.  
  
He watched as the coffins were lowered into their final resting places just outside of the Burrow's garden, protected by Gnome Repelling Charms. Under two shade trees that would give shelter to his love, as he was not able to.  
  
  
_A hand shook Harry out of his thoughts.   
  
"Harry, are you all right?" Ron asked, standing up beside him  
  
Harry wanted to scream _'_No!', and try to explain what was running through his head, but he simply couldn't. His thoughts raged with renewed vigor over the circumstances of her death, and Harry was too exhausted to stop the lone tear from falling down his cheek. _I need to get away_, he thought to himself.  
  
Instead he replied "I think so. Are they ready for us?"  
  
"Yes," Ron said, and helped Harry out of his seat. The two men melted into the crowd, looking for Arthur and Molly Weasley.   
  
They caught up with them just outside of the Great Hall, and fell in step with the rest of the family.   
  
Everyone was there : Percy with Penelope, walking hand in hand, Penelope trying to calm Percy's uncharacteristic wailing; Fred with Katie Bell and George with Angelina Johnson, all four of them holding onto each other and quietly letting the tears fall; Charlie and Bill, each being still unmarried, walking side by side in silence. Arthur held Molly close as they walked, each wiping their eyes with a handkerchief when needed. Draco walked behind everyone else in the group, looking down as he walked.  
  
The procession of wizards and witches trod down the road and into the green fields surrounding Hogwarts. Everyone wore black, even on that warm day. They walked to the monument, a great pillar of granite, and formed a circle around it.  
  
Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, stood on a small platform and amplified his voice.  
  
"Today, on this Day of Remembrance, we are gathered to honor both the living and the dead. This monument stands on the place where He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named fell. It commemorates our victory over this great evil, and the cost at which that victory was achieved. Inscribed upon this monument are the names of all of our heroes, both the living and the fallen. I would ask you for a moment of silence to remember those lost."  
  
The crowd stopped moving, and bowed their heads in remembrance of those sacrificed. After the appropriate time, the Minister continued.  
  
"We will now read the names of those wizards and witches who have left this world and gone on the next great adventure." Fudge switched papers and began to read the names, one by one. As each was read, there were exclamations of grief from the relatives of the deceased. "Charles Anton...Phillip Smith...Alicia Spinnet....Justin Flinch-Fletchly," In all, there were over five dozen names read. Except one.  
  
The entire Weasley family was fuming. Arthur tried to calm everyone in his family down, even though he himself was wanting to put his hands around Fudge's neck. However it was Ron who spoke up first.  
  
"You forgot someone." Ron cut into the next part of Fudge's speech.  
  
"Excuse me, Mister Weasley, but this is an official function." Fudge said pompously.  
  
"Cut it, Minister." Ron's voice was tense, and a few people in the crowd murmured assent.  
  
"Mister Weasley, unless you step down this minute I will see to it that-"  
  
"Why isn't my sister's name on that list?" There was a collective gasp from the wizards that had heard him. By now, everyone knew about the Weasley daughter who had turned against the Dark Lord and found herself sacrificing her life for the one she loved.  
  
"I don't understand," Fudge said carefully.  
  
Ron had had enough. He lost all sense of decorum at this point, and simply went for the jugular. "You don't understand? How could you not see that my entire family was grieving? Do you think we like this? And you don't have the decency to give my sister, who was a kind, decent human being, loving and -"  
  
"A Death Eater." Fudge raised his eyebrows and crumpled his mouth into a small line.  
  
"Is that all she was?" And Ron began to laugh. "Is that what this is about? Because she was a Death Eater? May I remind you that she also was part of the team that helped to save Diagon Alley? Not to mention the Ministry building itself? She was a spy, Minister. A spy for our side. And she died for it. Her husband is here only because you _tolerate_ his presence. What happens after this? What does he get? What about the other Death Eaters who turned?"  
  
"Nothing. The Cabinet voted last night."  
  
"He gets nothing? No recognition? No reward for risking his life?"  
  
"No. And this is neither the time nor the place for this type of discussion."  
  
"You are correct, this is not the place. However, you will read my sister's name. She is to be buried here, after all," Ron said softly.  
  
Fudge turned on Dumbledore. "Did you have anything to do with this, Headmaster?" Fudge's eyes blazed quiet murder.  
  
Dumbledore stared back, and did not flinch. "I did."  
  
"We will discuss this later." Fudge turned away from Dumbledore and faced the crowd once again. "Ginny Weasley," he spat finally.  
  
Harry smiled in spite of himself. The Weasleys visibly relaxed as Fudge went on.  
  
Finally it was time for each family to say goodbye. Arthur, Molly and the family made their way over to where Ginny's coffin lay. For a long while, no one said a word; instead they simply stood over the coffin and held onto each other. Finally Harry was the first to break the silence.  
  
"Goodbye, Ginny. I am going to miss your laughter, your smiles, your words of comfort and support after Hermione's death, and the conversations that have affected us all. Be well, and watch over your family and friends as they grieve." He fell silent.  
  
One by one each member of the family spoke on some aspect of Ginny's life. George and Fred spoke about the mischief that she would play with them, or Percy about sitting with his little sister and reading to her. Bill and Charlie were able to speak about Ginny being born, but neither Arthur nor Molly spoke, each too overwhelmed with grief to speak with much coherence, even though they tried. Ron could barely squeak out a "goodbye"; he being the brother that was closest to her.   
  
Draco. however, tried to be strong. Tears were just below the surface during all that he said. "What can I say about such an amazing woman? My love, my wife, my life. You meant everything to me, and now you're gone. When I think back to that night that we first spent talking, really talking, I can only love you all the more. Watch over me, and keep me safe, for I cannot do this alone. I miss you. Love you lots, Gin."  
  
Draco turned away from the coffin, and the Weasleys embraced their son-in-law.  
  
  
For a week after the funeral, the Weasleys stayed at Hogwarts. Every day Harry escaped to the Astronomy Tower to look over the grounds, and to think about his future. He knew that he no longer wanted to be an Auror, that much was certain, but nothing else was.  
  
"What am I going to do?" he asked himself out loud.  
  
"I don't know, but whatever you do, don't jump," Draco drawled.  
  
"What are you doing up here, Draco?"  
  
"The same as you. Thinking."  
  
"What am I going to do after this all settles down?" Harry asked again.  
  
"Don't know. I know that I certainly don't have many career options."  
  
"True." Harry chuckled lightly. It had been so long since he had laughed. "Draco, I need to leave." He said after a moment of silence.  
  
"So leave. The stairway is right there, Potter."  
  
"No, Draco, leave the wizarding world."  
  
Draco's usually impassive face showed his shock. "Harry Potter, leave the wizarding world? You can't be serious, Harry."  
  
"I am completely serious."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I've been hiding behind these walls for too long. These inside walls. I need to be human again, Draco. Not some wizard who thinks about nothing but revenge."  
  
"You have a responsibility to be here--" Draco cut himself off, aware of what he had just said.  
  
"I have a _responsibility_?" Harry asked, his voice lowering dangerously. "I have a _responsibility_ to be here? No, Draco, I do not have a responsibility to anyone. I've defeated Voldemort and saved the world not once but twice and _you want to talk to me about bloody responsibility_?" Harry's tone rose precipitously.  
  
"I'm sorry, Potter. I didn't--"  
  
"Don't say it. You did. You have a responsibility as well, Draco."  
  
"Face it, Potter, not too many wizards are going to hire Draco Malfoy, former Death Eater."  
  
"It's the 'former' that matters, though."  
  
"Not to them."  
  
"Draco, I've been the hero long enough. It's someone else's turn. Besides, I've done my life's work. And so the story ends with 'Our hero rode off into the sunset, never to return'." Harry replied sarcastically.  
  
"But it doesn't work that way, does it?"  
  
"Nope. I want to be a Muggle for a while; see the world."  
  
"And forget your problems," Draco said cautiously.  
  
"That too. I've been agonizing over her death for long enough. I've gotten my revenge. Now it's time to let her go." Harry's voice almost broke when he said this, but his resolve was quickly gaining strength.  
  
"Easier said than done, I'm afraid. Are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
"Yes." Harry voice was firm and confident, even though, deep inside he was still unsure.  
  
"All right then, Harry. Leave. I will keep your secret for you."  
  
"Are you offering to be my Secret Keeper?"  
  
"Do you want to be hidden from all those that you love?"  
  
"I need a fresh start, I think. Somewhere where this," and he pointed to his scar, "does not make for instant 'hero' qualifications. If I keep seeing Ron or anyone that I know, then I can't do that. So will you do it?"  
  
Draco thought for a moment, and replied. "I will."  
  
"Thank you." Harry and Draco shook hands. "When can we perform the Charm?"  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Anxious are we?"  
  
"A little."   
  
"Give me three days to get what I need together, and then we can perform the charm."  
  
"Thanks," Harry replied, and watched Draco walk down the stairs.  
  
  
Three days later Ron was off visiting the Burrow, and so Harry had the flat to himself. Draco arrived just after lunch, and the pair got to work.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Draco asked tentatively.  
  
"I am. Let's get this over with." Harry confirmed. He had gone to Gringotts and drawn out a substantial amount of galleons, converting them to Muggle money. He had also packed a few changes of clothes and a small atlas.  
  
Draco nodded, and then pulled out his wand and began the Fidelius Charm. "_Dissimulo_ Harry Potter," Draco said, and waived his wand in a complicated pattern of flicks. Harry could feel the shielding on him. "_Custos_ Draco Malfoy." Draco turned his wand on himself and felt the knowledge of where Harry was bury itself deep into his soul. Before performing the second part of the Charm, Draco had been unable to see Harry, but now that he was his Secret Keeper, Draco could see Harry just as if there was no charm.  
  
Harry sighed with relief. "Thank you. Now I've got to write a note to Ron explaining what I've done."  
  
"Take care of yourself, Potter. You are now hidden from the rest of the wizarding world, save me and there's no turning back now."  
  
"Be well, Malfoy. Here's my key to my parent's vault. I've taken a few thousand galleons and changed them into pounds, so I won't needing anymore for a long time. You have permission to use whatever you need to in the vault. Just please put it back."  
  
"Understood. Now get out of here. I would hate for you to have to see Ron when he finds you've gone, and I don't want to have to deal with him."  
  
"Thanks for your concern. I'll be going in a minute." Draco hesitated, then nodded, and let himself out of the flat. Harry found quill, ink and a parchment. He thought for a moment, and began to write.  
  
  
_Dear Ron,  
  
Forgive me for this. I've decided to leave the wizarding world, and become a Muggle. Do not come after me, because I don't know where I'll end up, and I just need to get away. I've left all of my magical items in the bedroom. Take them and use them well. Also my account at Gringotts is yours to do with as you please. Draco has the key. Enjoy it. Be happy.  
  
Harry  
  
  
_ He folded the note in half, wrote Ron's name on the front of it, and walked out of the flat, closing the red door behind him. He closed his eyes, and took the first step into his new life.  
  
A/N - Thanks to all who reviewed the 2nd chapter. Great thanks and praise goes to my incredible beta, Nancy, who, as always, has taken an unfinished table and turned it into something worthy of posting. Chapter 4 will be up at this time next Friday, so there you go.  
  
Happy belated V-Day.  
  
Sorry, no personal messages this time. Just want to get the story up. Next time, for both chapters. I promise.   
  



End file.
